The Sabbat in Riverton?
by Shadelyn
Summary: The Sabbat have their eyes on Riverton, and Mike Karrde is their first target. PLEASE COMMENT!
1. Prologue

Prologue

The sun had disappeared hours ago, and the last employee of the small airport had gone home not long after. The lights coming out from under the hanger door didn't belong to any employee. Inside the cavernous hanger, there stood a fairly large group, men and women, dressed in everything from slashed jeans and t-shirts to jackets and ties. There was nothing that would have marked them as any type of organized group, but they were here for a purpose. Their leader, a tall, thin man in a dark suit, was standing at the head of the crowd.

"For nearly a century, the Camarilla has held this region tight in its grasp. Chicago, Indianapolis, Kansas City, St. Louis. All are firmly in the grasp of our enemies. We could never take those cities without a blood-war big enough to draw too much attention to us. While the foolish Masquerade of the Camarilla is a waste of time, drawing every eye in the world is not the best course.

"Instead, we will start here. The four cities I name form the points of a diamond of support, a crystalline bond of haven and safe passage for the Camarilla. Diamonds, it is said, are nearly indestructible. But I will lead you to drive a wedge into the heart of that diamond - right here – that will lead to the fracture of the Camarilla and lead to a new stronghold of the Sabbat!"

Forty voices cheered as one. It was a measure of the man's popularity that so many disparate individuals came together under his banner. He made his way through the crowd, speaking a few words here, and handshake or clap on the shoulder there, working to affirm his position. When he was through, he turned to his lieutenant.

"Where's Jarrod Kale? I know he was here, I greeted him when he arrived."

The lieutenant shrugged, but assured his Bishop that young Kale would be found.


	2. Chapter 1

One

_Bored... bored... boring, bored._ Alyxandra sat on the kitchen floor of her and her husband's home. Michael Karrde hadn't returned home from his business dinner yet. He was trying to get another contract for his computer company, so he and Alexander – she refused to call him Alex – had taken some big-wigs out for a bite.

_I could have gone with them. I don't eat much at restaurants anyway. The staff is always so sweaty and greasy._

She had resorted to playing tic-tac-toe with herself, carving into the tiled pattern of linoleum with a paring knife. She knew damned well he'd be unhappy with her for this little bit of destruction, but... at least having him angry at her wouldn't be boring.

She jerked her head up at a sound from the other room. Just a quiet sound, like the sound of someone's legs brushing against each other, the soft friction of fabric.

_Puppy? _She hadn't heard the front door, but maybe he was trying to surprise her. She suddenly regretted that he'd be displeased with her, but then... making up later was always fun.

She scooted to the doorway and peeked into the other room, and there he was. But it wasn't her Puppy. It was a vampire, and she didn't know him.

"Boo!" She said, and barely suppressed a giggle when the vampire popped like a startled cat.

He was young. Maybe sixteen when he'd been embraced. He looked like some of the teen runaways Alyx had seen back home in California, the ones who hung around the beaches in Ventura and seemingly everywhere in Hollywood. He wore a ratty and threadbare concert tee for some band she'd never heard of before. His jeans were stained, ripped at the knees, and hung loosely around his waist. He had new, if scuffed, army boots. He'd have fit right in back home, nobody ever giving him a second look, unless it was to make sure he hadn't lifted their wallet.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" He asked.

_Well, that's a stupid question. _Alyx thought. She cocked her head to the side thoughtfully, and waiting for him to say something else.

He was looking her over. For the most part, she was still wearing what she had when she'd gotten out of bed earlier in the evening. Her hair was uncombed, but it probably didn't look too bad. The pajamas she had on consisted of a plain white tank-top in a feminine cut and matching shorts. He sneered at the sage green slippers she wore. Bunny slippers to be exact, one looking slightly chewed up.

Alyx wiggled the mangled slipper at the vampire. "Puppies like bunnies, right?"

He shook his head, "Get lost, lady. This is my show. The dog is mine, and if you think I'm going to share credit with some little bitch, you're crazy."

"Oh...," Alyx smiled. "You're here for the werewolf."

"No shit," he said. He gestured to the paring knife in her hand, "If that's all you got, even if it's silver, then you're already dead. Besides, you look like a chew toy to me. Just get lost."

Alyx tsked at him, "So rude... and you haven't even introduced yourself. Besides, I was here first. Why shouldn't I get to play too?"

He was looking her over again. She didn't look all that much older than him. He grinned, and crossed his arms over his chest. "Well... maybe. Maybe after I take care of the dog, you and I can have some fun. Name's Kale."

He reached to the back of his waist band and pulled out a small-caliber revolver and held it up for Alyx to see, pointing it carefully at the floor. "Silver bullets, baby!"

She smiled slyly at him, and moved closer. "Can I touch it?"

He chuckled nastily as she took it from his hand. She didn't like guns, and had little experience with them. Her husband had tried taking her out to a shooting range before, thinking she'd be better off knowing how to use at least one of the guns he kept in the house, but she had not enjoyed the experience and had refused to return.

"So why do you want to kill the Puppy?" She asked, playing with the gun, concentrating on where she put her fingers.

"Puppy?" He snorted. "Who the hell wants to take over a city with a damned dog living in it? Everyone's making a big deal about this one. One dog. I figure how hard can it be? So I'll take him out, and maybe I'll get to help take out the stinking Camarilla Prince they got here too.

"So anyway... maybe we could have some fun while we're waiting for him to show up?"

Alyx giggled. "I like to have fun. There's never anyone to play with anymore."

He leaned close to her and whispered a few suggestions into her ear.

She swung the gun in his direction and fired, the bullet sinking into the meat of his thigh. It seemed to take a couple of seconds for him to realize what had happened. She took a few quick steps away from him as he took one step towards her. He was confused, but that was quickly being replaced with rage.

She fired again, this one hitting his kneecap. At this close range, even she couldn't miss. She fired another into his other kneecap, and then he was down, screaming obscenities at her. The gun she tossed aside, a safe distance out of Kale's reach.

"That was kind of fun!" Alyx said, stepping aside as he fell forward and reached an arm out towards her ankle.

She removed the sashes from the curtains and used one to gag him, seating herself on his back to do so. She grabbed his arms, feeling something pop with a satisfying sound, and tied his hands behind his back.

"My Puppy won't be happy with you when he sees what you did to the kitchen."

His response was muffled against his gag. And thankfully, so were the curses that followed.

"Oh, you'll see..." She smiled. "He should be home soon."

She cut his shirt away with her paring knife, to expose his back to her.

"Everyone always forgets about me," she said, making her first shallow cut. "Silly little Alyxandra the Malkavian, ran off and married a werewolf. Let's not talk to her anymore." She finished carving the tic-tac-toe board into the back of his shoulder, then started playing.

Kale tried to buck her off his back, screaming a string of unintelligible words into the gag. Alyxandra clung on, laughing. "Bad little pony! I thought you wanted to play?" She grabbed a handful of his hair and pulled his head back. His eyes rolled back at her and fixed her with a glare. She frowned and banged his face into the floor, bloodying his nose.

"You scream an awful lot. I thought you were tougher than that, but look, you got beat up by a girl! I can't wait for Puppy to come home and see. But you don't like me anymore, do you? That's ok... I'll bet the Prince will be happy to see you. We'll just wait for Puppy first."

She began a new game a tic-tac-toe.


	3. Chapter 2

Two

Mike Karrde – WarCry, Theurge of the Glass Walker tribe of werewolves – walked in to hear a very strange sound coming from the dining room. There was also a heavy scent of blood in the air. It wasn't Alyxandra's, so he walked in unconcerned. That was before he saw the mess in front of him.

The vampire's whimpered curses were muffled by the thick gag in his mouth, and further by the fact that his face was pressed firmly into the plush carpeting. His hands remained secure behind his back, and his legs splayed out at odd angles. His back was a bleeding mess while Alyxandra hovered over him, the paring knife still in her hand, and she was slowly carving yet another tic-tac-toe into the vampire's flesh. There were half a dozen others, all filled with X's and O's. Vampires healed fast enough, so there was no telling how long this had been going on.

Alyx smiled up at Mike, a sweet, cheerful smile. There was blood smeared on her chin, more on her shirt, and on the knees of her bare legs. "I keep losing Puppy. Would you play with me?"

"How about you tell me what's going on, babe? I mean, you've got some goon trussed up and bleeding on our nicest carpet here."

"He says he came here to kill you. He was very surprised to find me." Alyx frowned, and poked at the vampire with her knife in a distracted way, and seemed not to notice his protests or struggles. "He wasn't very nice to me, Puppy. He said awful things. He even offered to let me help him kill you. I didn't like that."

She carved an X into the tic-tac-toe. "He's very stupid, I think. And he's Sabbat." She ruffled the vampire's hair, almost affectionately, smiling again. "And I think he's very, very new."

"What would a Sabbat be doing here? There's not a Sabbat city for a thousand miles."

"I don't know, Puppy. All he's done for the last hour or so is whimper and moan. I can't make any sense of it."

Karrde gently but firmly lifted his wife off the back of the captive.

"That might be because you have him gagged, babe."

"Hmm…could be…Whaddya wanna do?"

"I'm just going to ask him a few questions. Sit in the chair and try not to hurt him any more unless I say its okay."

Alyx flopped into the ladder-back chair, pouting, still holding her paring knife.

"So why are you in my house?" Karrde asked, pulling the man – boy, really, he noticed – to his feet and yanking out the gag.

"You won't get a thing from me, Dog! You and your crazy bitch can just….uuhhh…AAAHH!"

Slamming the vampire against the wall, right onto the still-raw wounds, Karrde got right in his face.

"Little punk like you, you can't say anything about me to piss me off. But you will _not_ disrespect my wife, or you will – briefly – live to regret it." Eyes flashing slightly golden, the point came through loud and clear.

"He said his name's Kale, and he came here to kill you, and maybe Prince Joe," Alyx said, still sulking.

"Well…I'm not sure what else we need you for. You told her everything. You must be incredibly dumb to spill your whole plan to someone you've never met, boy. Don't you ever watch Bond movies? The villains always gloat just before they get killed…" He let the threat hang unspoken.

"There's nothing you can do to me that Lu Tan couldn't do ten times worse."

Karrde smiled again, shaking his head, but he didn't say anything yet. Instead, concentrating, he shifted just his left arm to crinos form, the talons stretching out as he flexed the arm. He dragged the claws across Kale's chest, barely breaking the skin, but you would have thought he was being disemboweled from the way he screamed.

"So you think Lu Tan can do things worse than me, huh? Wanna test that theory? Why is Lu Tan going to be angry with you?"

Kale was panting from pain, fear, and adrenalin.

"No one was supposed to know until we made our move. Lu Tan doesn't want anyone knowing we're here, probably even after we're done."

"Why do the Sabbat want control of Riverton? What's special about here?"

Alyx jumped up off her seat, bored with watching. She didn't know who anybody with a tan was, so she didn't care.

"He was going to shoot you with this, Puppy! He said they're silver bullets, but I gave three of them back to him," she said, handing over the revolver with a smug grin.

Karrde tried to let Kale stand on his feet, but the vampire collapsed. That's when he noticed the ruined knees.

"Huh…" was all he said. After shifting his arm back to human form, he opened the chamber and carefully pulled out one of the rounds. He lightly touched the shiny bullet, then he held his finger pressed against it.

"It's not silver, it's chrome. Somebody sold you a bill of goods, son. Alyx, call Joseph, ask if he has a few minutes to see us tonight, would you, Love?"

She squealed happily and clapped her hands together, then ran off to call the Prince of the city.


	4. Chapter 3

Three

Huang Lu Tan, Bishop of the Sabbat and leader of the lance aimed into the heart of the Camarilla's territory, surveyed a map of the city. He was still in the abandoned hanger along with his four Ductus, the pack leaders of the Sabbat. He'd brought in four packs, ten vampires in each. Right now, those packs were out hunting in twos and threes. Their missions were to capture or eliminate the hierarchy of the Camarilla here, along with anyone else they felt might be a true threat. They were also searching for the young Brujah who had disappeared earlier in the evening.

"Still no sign of Kale, sir, but we've gotten word that the Malkavian is dead."

"Well, that's one. What about the Garou? Anyone in that area?"

"No sir. Your orders were explicit, so everyone is staying away. I agree, I don't know why a werewolf would want to get in the middle of this, so as long as we leave him alone, we shouldn't have any problems."

Lu Tan was a patient man, but this plan hinged on everything falling into place just so. If anything messed up his time table – say, a rogue Brujah _Antitribu_ doing something foolish – he was going to be very angry. When he got angry, heads rolled.


	5. Chapter 4

Four

Karrde was blindfolded before being led up the stairs to the second, then third floor of the Riverwatch Club. Alyx had asked to stay downstairs and dance, which was OK with Karrde. He could hold his own, even with a Prince of a city, and he knew she would have just gotten restless. Still, he thought it was a little ominous to be blindfolded to go up two flights of stairs.

When the blindfold was removed, he was standing in a room with a desk sitting over a glass floor, extended over the river, and a sitting area with a couch facing two chairs over a coffee table. Kale was in one of the seats, bound and gagged with a large vampire standing over him, holding a heavy pistol against the boy's temple.

Leaning back on the front of the desk was Joseph Oberlin. Karrde knew him, had met him when he and Alyx had moved into town. A vampire doesn't move into a town without getting approval from the Prince, and while a Garou didn't need approval from any vampire, he didn't want to cause any trouble – for himself, Alyx, or the Prince – so he showed proper courtesy. That meeting had been in a local park, though, not the Prince's private office.

"Mr. Karrde, I'm sorry about the theatrics. Obviously, we're not trying to hide our location, but there are security measures I'd rather you not see."

"Understandable. As a security specialist, I'd probably see things others wouldn't. Like the fact that you're standing on a dual-paned glass plate with armor-grade Lexan sandwiched between them. Probably UV-protected, but that's just a guess based on the owner."

Oberlin gave a look, reassessing Karrde, but didn't say anything.

"I try to stay out of affairs of the Kindred, sir, but this young man came into my house looking to kill me. Luckily, he didn't know about Alyxandra and thought she was there to kill me, also, or she'd probably already be dead."

"What happened to his legs, mutt?" the large vampire with the pistol asked. "You get hungry and take a bite?"

"Lukas, watch your tone!" the Prince snapped. "Mr. Karrde is here as _my_ guest, and you will treat him as such, or you _will_ answer to me."

Lukas lowered his head, hate still in his eyes.

"No offense taken, sir. I know I'm not the most popular guy in town. In answer to your question, no, I didn't do that. He was showing off his gun with 'silver' bullets and he let Alyx hold it. She used it to disable him. Oh, that's something your security guys should watch for, by the way." Karrde reached into his jacket and pulled out the revolver, dropping it on the coffee table. "Some folks might not be as open with their intentions as I am."

Oberlin's eyes flashed again, but he said nothing.

"Alyx thinks he's Sabbat, though he didn't say so, and he had told Alyx something about not wanting to take over a town with a 'Dog' in it. I'm pretty sure the kid here wasn't staging a coup, so you might have trouble coming your way."

Just then, a young woman, the Prince's secretary by the looks of it, came in with a note. Without a word, she handed the note to Oberlin and walked back out, never even glancing at the man with the gun pointed at the bound boy in the chair, let along the man just standing by the coffee table.

"Toreador?" Karrde asked.

"No, human," Oberlin said. "Not even a Ghoul. I just pay her incredibly well, and she's learned to ignore things she sees." He read the note she'd brought in. "Damn," he said under his breath.

"May I ask what's the problem?" Karrde asked.

"When your wife called and mentioned the Sabbat, I sent out orders to call a council meeting. So far, no one has reached my Malkavian or Tremere Primogen. They're not answering their phones, they aren't answering knocks on the door even though their cars are there. Mr. Karrde, I fear you're right. I think Riverton is under a serious attack."


	6. Chapter 5

Five

Downstairs, Alyxandra was slowly moving to the music in her own head, not hearing the hard and heavy beat of the music playing in the club. She had her eyes closed when a strong pair of arms snaked around her waist and a voice whispered in her ear.

"Heya sweetheart. Hasn't that pet of yours taught you to dance yet?"

Alyx smiled and turned, pushing the vampire away. She peered up at him from beneath her eyelashes.

"Hello Max."

Max leaned in and gave Alyx a light kiss on her lips, and made an overly exaggerated face of disgust.

"You do smell bad, don't you know? Did your pet finally let you out of the house alone?"

"No," She said sweetly, "He's upstairs torturing rude vampires. Maybe you should go up there and join the fun?"

"Sounds enticing. Why aren't you up there?"

"Boys only."

"Really? Maybe I _should_ go on up then?" Max laughed, but took a seat instead, pulling Alyx down into his lap. "What's really going on? We never see you around here anymore."

Alyx explained what had happened at the house, honestly making every attempt not to embellish. But she did like an exciting story.

Max sighed, "I hope you're not just teasing about a tasty young man, bound and gagged in the Prince's office."

Alyx giggled.

"And I hope your pet is up on his shots and has had his annual flea dip. I suppose I should go on up there after all." He shooed Alyx off his lap, and winked at her as he turned to leave, heading up stairs.


	7. Chapter 6

Six

"We missed the other Primogen, sir, but we took out two."

Lu Tan didn't turn from the window.

"That's nothing to brag about. We have a missing Neophyte, we missed soft, easy, unaware targets. The Camarilla know we're here, and they're starting to circle their wagons."

The Ductus lowered his head.

"What're your orders, Bishop?"

"Bring everyone back in. We've got to plan for an assault on a ready target. Find Kale. I don't care what it takes, I don't care if you find pieces and chunks. I want him accounted for.

"And if he's not alive, remedy the situation."


	8. Chapter 7

Seven

It had taken a while, but the Prince had gotten his Primogen gathered from around the area. Since he controlled a territory of hundreds of square miles, moving out over fifty miles in every direction from the center of Riverton, it took a little time for the vampires to come together. Now, though, they were gathered and they were loud.

"How in the hell can you ask us to take the word of a….Garou…that we're under attack?" asked Luci Delgado, the Gangrel Primogen. It was obvious she'd wanted to use a different word, but restrained herself since the Garou in question was in the room and a guest of the Prince.

"Why would the Sabbat want Riverton?" said Jack Straeter. He was the Brujah, who believed he was much more high-class than the thug he truly was. He did run a lot of the industrial operations in town, though, so his views were respected.

Max Herring, Toreador Primogen and Alyx's friend, was silent, as was Neha Pandya of the Ventrue, Oberlin's right hand and _de facto _Prince of Cardiff Hill, the small town about twenty-five miles to the south. There she acted as Oberlin's surrogate, enforcing his rules in her own way.

"The Sabbat has always envied the Camarilla's grasp on the center of this country," came a voice from a shadowed corner. The sound was like two concrete slabs sliding against each other, grating and growling at the same time. This was Demitrius, the Nosferatu Primogen. "If it were me, I'd target the relatively vulnerable area – a crossroads of sorts for major metropolitan areas, especially among Kindred – and I would start weakening the area from the core."

The arguments and discussions continued for a time until Oberlin knocked on the coffee table to get everyone's attention.

"The debate is over, ladies and gentlemen. We have a self-confessed Sabbat in custody who attacked the resident Garou with the intent to 'get him out of the way' and we have two of our number missing and presumed dead. I've asked Marie Haughey here to act as the interim Tremere Primogen, so until I say otherwise, her voice will count the same as anyone's. The Sabbat, whatever their reasons, are coming, and we need a united voice to stop them."

With that, Oberlin stood up and walked over to Alyxandra, sitting in the corner near Karrde.

"Alyxandra, the Malkavian Primogen is to be presumed dead. As the remaining Malkavian in my territory, I would like you to take the position."

Alyx looked taken aback, and then after a moment, a little horrified.

"I don't think so. It's not like I'd be representing anyone. And chances are, if another one of us does move in, they're going to be older than me and swat me down like a bug, and I've got enough to worry about. Besides, I'm completely the type of person who would abuse any sort of power available. Just ask Puppy, I abuse him every chance I get."

Oberlin chuckled, taking her hand in his.

"I can understand your reluctance. Based on the rules set down in this town, any declaration of a Blood Hunt must be confirmed by the entire Council. As Prince, I could change the rules, but I'd rather follow the forms. For the duration of this crisis, I'd like your voice to be heard."

Alyx still didn't look sure, but she nodded her acceptance.

"Very well," Oberlin said. "We have a full Council. I wish to present the council with a request for a declared Blood Hunt against any vampires who have not been announced or accepted in my territory. Ventrue?"

"Agreed," said Pandya.

"Toreador?"

"I approve," Max responded for his clan.

"Gangrel?"

"Aye, let's take the fight to them, Sire!"

"Brujah?"

Straeter nodded without saying a word.

"Nosferatu?"

"We must eliminate this threat," Demitrius answered.

"Tremere?" Oberlin said, looking at the young woman who had gotten a sudden promotion within her clan.

"Agreed, my Prince."

"And Malkavian?"

"I'll agree under on condition," Alyx said, absolutely serious for a change.

Every eye turned to her. The Prince was hardly one to be questioned, and a temporary Primogen was hardly in a position to make demands.

"Name your condition and I'll meet it if I can," Oberlin said.

The rest of the council seemed stunned, but no one said anything.

"I want you to let Mike lead the battle. I'm willing to bet he has more battle experience than anyone else here, and I'm certain he knows how to protect his territory."

The debate roared back to life again, voices getting louder and more heated.

"Silence!" Oberlin roared. It was the first time Karrde had seen him with real anger. "You've all given your votes. If Karrde will take the challenge, I'd be glad to have him at my side."

"You want a Garou to defend you and your city? I mean, won't that look bad to the other Kindred?" Karrde asked.

"A Prince must know how to use his resources. Like it or not, Mr. Karrde, you are one of my resources."

"Well, since everyone else is setting conditions, I'll set mine. If I'm going to do this, I'll be in command. We'll do it my way, my orders."

"I'd like to at least be consulted, but you'll have my support. We don't have the numbers to repel a truly focused Sabbat assault."

"You guys rally the troops," Karrde said to the Primogen. "Get anyone in town who can fight – vampires, personal assistants, whatever – get them all together downstairs. Alyx, honey, stay up here. I've got a few calls to make."


	9. Chapter 8

Eight

The riverside was cool and quiet. The noise from the club was absent, a testament to the construction of the building. Karrde sat with his eyes closed, listening to the soft _swish_ of the river, centering his mind. Opening his eyes, he looked at his face in the calm pool of water between the docks that lead into the nightclub. Letting himself fall, WarCry slid into the shadow-world of the Umbra. Looking around, he could see the river, sparkling with life and the true power of Gaia. There were no buildings, but there were clearings and areas that were obviously less than natural.

WarCry, Theurge of the Glass Walkers, summoned a spirit he'd befriended long ago. The small spirit looked like a spider, with legs sparkling like silica and the tribal mark of the Glass Walkers along its back.

_I need your help, my friend_, WarCry said, projecting his words with his mind to the spirit. _There are creatures out at the fringe of my city, and I need help finding them. Please, will you help me?_

The spirit stared at WarCry for a moment, then the Garou received a positive impulse. He directed the spirit to pull every available electronic surveillance in the area, focusing on the locations known to be the haunts of the Kindred Primogen. WarCry closed his eyes and let the imagery filter like a fast-played movie behind his eyes straight into his mind. Oberlin might run the city, but WarCry didn't live anywhere without knowing where the power players were located.

An image flashed and he stopped the roll. Reaching out with his mind, he plucked out the image and played it backwards. The spider-spirit spun the web for him, leading him from one camera to another, following the vampire comically moving backwards until she reached the airport and disappeared into an unmarked hanger. WarCry played this image forward and back, reviewing, counting. He finally managed to get a fairly accurate count of about forty Sabbat vampires. By reviewing footage from dozens, hundreds of cameras, he found all the back roads and trails the vampires were using to get in and out of town undetected.

Using the power of the spirit to call its brethren, WarCry asked them to do him the favor of laying out a web of lines between the city proper and the airport. These he tied to the water-spirit – typically used for healing, but sensitive to other spirits – bound into his klaive. This would give him warning if any of the creatures of the Wyrm crossed them into the town, and almost exact locations within that web.

_Thank you, my friend, _he told the spirit. _I know my affiliations are not your favorite creatures, but this Garou is grateful for your assistance_. With that, he let the spirit go about its business and slipped back into the real world. Taking out his cell phone, he made a call that he wasn't sure was going to go well.

"Lushenko, this is Karrde in Riverton. I know I don't have a right to ask this, butI need to see if you can lend me a hand…"

--

After a few more hours of planning and discussion, the council had a solid plan in place. The Gangrel would be the front line, but everyone would have their part to play.

"Well, sunrise is only an hour or so away," Karrde said finally. "I'm going to take Alyx home, and we'll meet back here just after sundown?"

Everyone agreed and Karrde took his wife out the door. Rather than going straight to their car, he took her hand and led her through the nearby park along the water front.

"Why did you tell them you wanted me to lead this fight, babe?" he asked her.

Alyx shrugged. "I don't know. Just seemed like a good idea."

"You know this means I'm going to be out there, having a bunch of angry, aggressive Sabbat looking for me, right?"  
"Yeah, I know. But you can handle it. Besides, I'll be right there with you. I won't let the bad guys get you!"

Karrde chuckled as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her tight and leading her out on the path to stare over the river, the lights of the bridges reflected in the rippling water. Looking deep into her eyes, Karrde was trying to think of something to say that wouldn't sound like a cheesy pick-up line.

"Is this the part where you say 'love me tonight, because we may be dead tomorrow'?" she asked.

"One of these days I'm going to figure out how you read my mind," Karrde told her. He lowered his head, kissing her, feeling her lips pressed to his and probing gently with his tongue to find hers. After a few moments, he scooped her up, took her to their car, and drove her home, to bed.


	10. Chapter 9

Nine

Around noon, Karrde rolled out of bed. He wasn't worried about waking Alyxandra. Besides the fact that he'd kept her up about an hour after her normal bedtime, it took nearly an act of God to wake her up before she was ready. As he did every time he woke up, Karrde glanced around to make sure there was no sunlight coming into the bedroom. With several layers of protection covering the windows, it was highly unlikely, but he hadn't survived by assuming everything was safe.

After his morning routine, Karrde checked the messages on his answering machine. A local company was looking to hire him for an information security upgrade. He'd have to get in touch with his nephew Alex, his business partner, to lay the ground work. Just as he was grabbing a glass of juice there was a knock at the front door.

Stunned was probably too gentle of a word to describe Karrde's feelings when he opened the door. Standing there was a tall, sun-darkened woman. Her long black hair was in a braid draped over her shoulder. She had on a light shirt over denim shorts and wore a hiking vest, complete with a survival knife and other trinkets needed for a wilderness survival expert.

"Sara!" Karrde said. "What are you doing here?"

"WarCry," she said with a small smile. "Are you going to invite me in, or are you going to make an old girlfriend wait outside?"

Karrde motioned her in, noticing two large men sitting out in an SUV by the curb.

"Your friends don't want to come in?" he asked as she walked past him.

"Nah, they'll behave themselves. I left the windows cracked for them," she added with a chuckle.

Closing the door, Karrde followed her into the living room. She was admiring the floor-to-ceiling bookshelf covering the west wall, studying the titles.

"An original edition of 'Tale of Two Cities', 'A Brief History of Time', and the entire 'Harry Potter' collection. As eclectic as ever, I see."

"Sara, what the hell are you doing here? I haven't seen you since I was nineteen, and if I remember right, the phrase 'never want to see you again' was thrown at me."

"We'd been seeing each other for two years, Mike, and you just decided it was time to move out, head out west. You knew I wasn't going to go with you, but you packed up anyway."

Karrde heard a lot of hurt still in her voice, even after all these years. The fact that she was pretty much one hundred percent right didn't help. As a member of the Sept of the Great River, Sara Hileni Whispering Water was a Galliard of the Uktena. The Sept were the guardians of the great caern of the Cahokia mounds in southern Illinois. After a few years in New Orleans, Karrde's father had moved them here, to Riverton. While not technically part of the Sept, they spent a lot of time there for Karrde to learn the ways of the Garou. Karrde met Sara when they were seventeen, and he thought he was in love, thought she was the one – all despite the fact that they were both Garou. But after his father died, Karrde found instructions directing him to seek out his Tribe near San Francisco, at the Western Eye Sept. He hadn't told Sara any of that, just that he was leaving and didn't know if he'd ever be back. He knew that she felt, as did all the Uktena in the area, that protecting the Mounds was her mission from Gaia. He didn't think she was here looking for excuses, though.

"I'm sorry, Sara. I know it means nothing now, but I never did mean to hurt you."

"I know. I know two Garou wouldn't have worked anyway. It did hurt, though." Sara took a deep breath, focusing herself. "But I didn't come up here to kick up an old flame. Keeper-of-Gateways sent me, said you needed some help, so I brought a few Ahroun with me to help save your hide."

"Lushenko sent you? Why? Why you?"

"Boy, you have been out of touch," she laughed. "My parents were Kinfolk, so when Grandfather died, I was next in line. I'm the youngest Sept leader ever. So, tell me, what's the problem you've got?"

"Sabbat," Karrde said. This was about to become an argument, and he wanted to ease his way into it.

"Vampires are trying to take the town? How many and where, we can take 'em out."

"It's not quite that easy, Sara." Karrde proceeded to explain the whole situation.

After a few minutes of silence, Sara grabbed him by the shirt-front.

"Are you out of your fucking mind?" she snarled in his face. "You called for help to defend one group of leeches from another?"

"I called for help defending my home, Whispering Water!" Karrde snarled back, yanking back out of her grip. "I live here, and the status quo has been working. But if the Sabbat take over here, it's going to be a bloodbath in this town, and how long do you think it will be before they start moving south?"

"You decide to set up shop in a Cadaver-infested hole and then come whining to the pack when it gets dirty? Either you've gotten stupid over the years or… no, that's really the only excuse I can think of."

"Well, I guess while you're yelling at me, you might as well have the whole story. I'm married, Sara. To a Malkavian."

Sara looked at him, her expression unreadable but her scent running from incredulous to angry to utter disgust.

"Whatever, Karrde. You've got friends in high places. Lushenko would be pissed if I bailed on one of his tribe who asked for help. But you better be damned sure about this. The leeches here – the 'good guys' had better be on the up and up, or you know we're going to be back."

"You help me out here, Whispering Water, and you'll get your wish from all those years ago. You'll never have to see me again."

Karrde saw the pain well back up in her eyes only to be crushed a few moments later by anger.

"We're staying in a cabin I rented down by the river. Let me know when you're having a planning session, or whatever." She handed him a slip of paper with an address and cell phone number, then walked out the door without another word.

After a few minutes, Karrde took a deep breath.

"I guess that could have been worse," he said to himself. "Not sure how, though."

He finished his juice and then went back to bed with his wife.


	11. Chapter 10

Ten

Lu Tan prowled through the hanger, the makeshift headquarters for this little insurrection. He should have been sleeping, but he was worried. Something had tipped off the Primogen, meaning that he missed his chance to behead the leadership. The youngest member of his group was missing, likely dead or captured, and he couldn't help but believe the two were connected. There was also the fact there was a werewolf somewhere in town. He'd ordered his men to leave the mutt alone, but he would have expected someone to have noted some movement.

"Sir, we've gotten word that the Primogen council held a meeting all night, including a Tremere and a Malkavian."

"So, he's replaced them already. That means he knows they're dead and they're probably aware we're here. This complicates things. Let them sleep, but I want everyone to start prepping. We'll be moving after midnight. I want this town in my grasp by this time tomorrow."

--

Just after sundown, Karrde and Alyx walked back up to the Riverview Club. A big sign on the door read 'Closed for Private Affair'. Alyx was brooding, verging on angry. Karrde had tried to explain that, yes, Sara was an ex-girlfriend, but she was there for the fight, nothing else.

"She wants a fight, I can find one," Alyxandra mumbled. Karrde couldn't tell if she was just rehashing the previous fight or doing that mind-reading trick again. Either way, he didn't say anything.

The club wasn't empty, even though it was closed. The Primogen council would be meeting upstairs, but all of the vampires residing in the area had been called in. The looks Karrde received were a mix of distrust, respect, and even hope. They knew who he was now, and they knew his job was to lead the fight against the Sabbat. They despised the fact that the Prince had brought someone else in, but they were grateful that it wasn't them. The Gangrel congregation, five vampires of the same cut – jeans, denim jackets over flannel and t-shirts – stood up out of respect. They knew they'd be on the front line with him, and they were ready.

When Karrde got to the office the rest of the Primogen were already around the table. Alyx took one of the empty seats. Besides the seven Primogen, there were only three other people in the room: Karrde himself, Oberlin, and Whispering Water. She was standing behind the Prince's desk, staring out at the river and the small, wooded island that seemed just within reach. Karrde took a seat next to his wife.

"You never told me you dated Lara Croft," Alyx said, only a small hint of humor in her voice. Karrde noticed Sara did have on her vest and shorts, looking somewhat like the video game character. Before he could respond, Oberlin spoke up.

"We've got our plan, and now it's time to put it into action. The Gangrel are ready, they've been given their assignments on the most common roads from the airport into town. Karrde and the Garou will be the next line back, the fall-back positions at chokepoints along the roads. The rest of us stake our claim here, at the club. Does anyone have any revisions, last minute issues?"

"I'm going with Mike," Alyx said. "Someone has to keep him out of trouble, and it's not like I can help any more here than I can out there."

"Any objections?" Oberlin asked. There weren't any; it seemed most of the council weren't all that disappointed that she wouldn't be there with them. A lot of them hadn't gotten over her brazen attitude at the earlier meeting. "Ok, then. Let's get to work, people."

The Primogen filed out, leaving Karrde, Alyx, Sara, and Oberlin.

"Your partner came in and cut her own deal, Karrde. She's very forceful, a trait I'd imagine is as important to a Sept leader as it is for a Prince."

"Whispering Water always was great at haggling," Karrde said. "What did she take ya for?"

"The island," The Prince said, gesturing out the window. "We – the Kindred I mean – don't use it for anything, and she wanted somewhere to set up a small caern. The south end seems to have appealed to her."

"I'm standing right here, ya know?" Helini said, turning to the others. "I figured if we're going to save this place for you, we ought to get more than just a pat on the back. The ground out there sings. I can't believe you've never noticed, WarCry."

"Who says I haven't? Running a caern by myself would be…complicated, to say the least."

Alyx was glaring at Sara, and Sara was being exceptionally obvious about not looking at Alyx. Karrde could smell the tension and anger, even jealousy in his wife's scent, and Helini seemed on the verge of shifting right then and there, taking the fight to the nearest vampire.

Unexpectedly, Alyx wrapped her arms around Karrde's and he noticed her scent now spiked with possessiveness and victory, as though it had ever been a fight. Karrde remembered a similar shift in his wife just before she pulled a knife on Alexander. He knew he had to do something, but stepping between the two was just about the last place he wanted to be.

"It's yours if we win, Ms. Helini. If not…well, either it won't matter to you, or you'll have to cut a deal with a new landlord."

"Let's make sure that doesn't happen. Sara, I know you're not happy about standing side by side with vampires, but this town is my home, and I won't let it turn into a Sabbat hellhole. You're still here, so I'm guessing your still in. I'll tell ya right now, though, this is my turf. I'm the Alpha here, not you. If you can't handle that, there's the door."

Sara didn't move. She looked like she wanted to argue, but she centered herself.

"You're in charge, WarCry. My mission here is to follow your orders. Where do you want us?"

Karrde pointed out the chokepoints where the Gangrel would fall back after the initial confrontation. The Sabbat would be in for a rude surprise when they found Crinos werewolves, ready to tear them apart.

"Where are you going to be?" Oberlin asked.

"I'm taking Puppy for a walk," Alyx said with a wicked grin. Oberlin looked confused, Sara looked disgusted, and WarCry? WarCry laughed. This was Alyx's contribution to the plan, and it was pure mad genius.


	12. Chapter 11

Eleven

The blonde girl was leading a large grey dog down the gravel country road. It was a pretty unusual time for walking a dog, but there were folks who worked all different times. The vampire, moving silently through the night, decided to eliminate them. This road was the main road aside from the highway into town, so it was the main route for the Sabbat to take down the city. Not wanting to get caught up in the bloodlust, he pulled a large knife to kill the girl. Dogs tended to sense they were dealing with a higher predator, so he wasn't worried there.

He stalked his prey, but just as he was about to strike, the world turned and he was suddenly on his back, staring at the stars behind a huge, monstrous head.

--

WarCry had noticed the vampire about five minutes before he started to make his move. This was the third 'scout' who had come up this road, and so far none had been able to report back. Though it had seemed ridiculous to let Alyx take him for a walk, Karrde had a hard time rejecting any of her ideas. He had to admit, though, this one was brilliant. Neither of the vampires who had tried to take down the 'witness' on the road had even known what hit them.

In his lupine form, he couldn't tell Alyx what was going on, but he turned his head to face behind them, then nudged her leg and let her hear a soft growl. She got the message and he could feel the leash around his neck slacken. He'd rather not have had it at all, and he knew it was going to get in his way in the fight to come, but it was a necessary part of the illusion.

WarCry heard the blade clear the leather of the scabbard, heard the crunch of gravel as the vampire thought he moved silently to the attack. Karrde shifted, slowly, toward the Hispo form, the giant dire wolf. Just before the Sabbat soldier struck, Karrde lashed out with his rear leg and sent the creature flying. Before the vampire even hit the ground, WarCry was in his Crinos form and was looming over the attacker.

WarCry picked up the Sabbat and snarled in his face, then tossed him off the road into the tree line. He wasn't concerned about Alyx; she was smart enough to keep herself out of trouble for the short period this fight would take. Rushing in, WarCry found the vampire, slumped against the tree he'd hit. WarCry moved in to take the vamp out for good when he got a surprise. The knife came up and he saw the glint of silver just before the blade came at him. He tried to block the move with his forearm, but, as he feared, the leash wrapped around his wrist at the worst moment. Not only did it stop his blocking move, but it pulled him off balance, leaving him completely open to the blade slash.

The silver bit deep into his side, then left a trail of fire across his chest. The vampire punched with incredible strength, knocking WarCry to the ground, dazed. His head was spinning as his body worked to heal itself. When his eyes finally focused again, he saw another vampire, a large Asian man, commanding the other vampire to run.

_Lu Tan_ he thought. _I can end this right now_. Karrde lashed out, kicking the big vampire back to slam against a solid old oak.

--

Watching as her husband collapsed, blood soaking the fur on his chest, Alyxandra felt true fear for the first time in a long while. Dropping to her knees by her husband's sides to take in his condition, Alyxandra realized the wounds were as bad as she thought, but he was quite disoriented, his eyes not focusing. The fear inside her turned cold, and then her face twisted into something horrible and ugly.

Rage burned in her eyes, and she bared her teeth, a vicious snarl tearing from her throat. She turned on the vampire, who was just getting back on his feet, dazed and sluggish in his movements. As their eyes met, Alyx's face then turned cold and emotionless as the gazed upon her enemy, concentrating, focusing her blood and energy to craft her illusion.

Projecting what the vampire expected to see, what struck fear into him, Alyx's features shifted to reflect that of the Sabbat leader. She didn't really even know what she looked like, she was just focusing the vampire's energy back to him.

"The dog is mine," she said, her voice rich and deep." Leave here. _Run_!"

The vampire didn't hesitate. The illusion was complete. He gathered his legs beneath him and ran.

Turning back to WarCry, she saw his eyes focus on her, seeing not his wife, but rather the illusion she'd pulled from the mind of the Sabbat. She knew his sense of smell should have told him the truth, but he was still not all there. Before she could say anything, he lashed out, kicking her in the chest and sending her flying. She felt something crack in her side, probably a rib or two, but nothing punctured her skin, no branches pierced her heart, so she knew she'd be fine. Now she just had to get her Puppy to come back to himself.

--

WarCry heard the vampire scream, but it wasn't Lu Tan. He ran over and saw his wife, her illusion destroyed, laying gingerly in the fallen leaves on the ground. He tried to help her up, but Alyxandra slapped his hand away, shuddering from the pain of her wounds. They weren't severe; he'd been too confused and unsure to use his full strength, hadn't used his lethal claws, but her ribs hurt and she was cranky..

WarCry's own wounds had already closed, aided by the faster healing his Crinos form afforded him. He got to his feet and pulled Alyx up with him, to look over her wounds. But she was shaking her head. There was still fighting to be done.


	13. Chapter 12

Twelve

After hours of running and fighting, WarCry and Alyxandra had made their way back to the club. The fighting had been in the shadows, out of the eye of the sparse population in the streets in the early morning hours. All three of the Big River Sept werewolves were there, as were most of vampires. Of the Gangrel, only Luci Delgado, the Primogen, and one other were there.

"Sorry, Delgado," WarCry said, "I knew your people would be at risk."

"We took enough of them with us, Karrde. You and yours had our back. We won't forget that."

The assembled vampires, totaled about fifteen. Karrde knew there were some wounded inside, but it still left a thin line. He hoped the troops in the streets had evened the odds a little bit.

The Sabbat started to come out of the alleys and shadows, moving toward the club. At first glance, Karrde knew there were at least twenty, maybe twenty-five coming toward them. Lu Tan was at the head. Karrde glanced at his wife. It's not that he wasn't sure Lu Tan was real this time, he was just a little wary after nearly killing her.

The vampires on both sides shifted their stances, one side preparing to attack, the other to defend their territory. Four Crinos werewolves towered above the ranks of the defenders, anchoring the line in the center and at the ends. It was going to be a bloodbath, WarCry knew, and he hoped the Garou could off-set the numbers difference.

Before anyone could make the first move, Lu Tan dropped to his knees and collapsed to the ground, a heavy crossbow bolt standing from his chest.

"Stand down, Sabbat," boomed a female voice from behind Karrde. He turned and saw the lithe woman coming off the roof of the Riverwatch Club. She leapt from ledges until she stood on the ground. Karrde watched her walk through the Camarilla line, grateful his fur kept him from showing his paling face.

"I'll come back to you in a minute, little brother," she said as she made her way to the Sabbat leader. "Huang Lu Tan, you are in violation of the Accords of the Cardinals. You have attacked an enemy without consent of the elders and the Black Hand has decreed that you are a threat to the Sabbat. For that, your life is forfeit."

The leader of the Sabbat watched, unable to move more than his eyes with the wooden bolt in his heart, as the young-looking woman pulled out matched blades and separated his head from his shoulders.

"Leave this place," she called to the remainder of the Sabbat. "Report back to your cardinals for discipline."

After having watched their leader eliminated without even a struggle, the remaining Sabbat had lost their interest in the fight. As ordered, they turned and ran.

Karrde shifted back to his human form, though the other three Garou held their monstrous Crinos forms as the woman walked back their line. Oberlin came to stand at Karrde's side.

"You know this woman, Karrde?" Oberlin demanded.

"Yes sir, she's my sister. I..."

"I'm Shadelyn Baily, Toreador Antitribu," the woman interrupted. "And clearly my brother does not know me at all, or he would have asked for my help here. Really Michael," she said, turning to Karrde, "anyone at the Sept of the Western Eye could have told you all about me if you had ever thought to ask. Though I suppose your nephew would rather not admit his mother is a Garou killing leech."

One of the Big River Sept werewolves snarled. "I believe I've heard of this bloodsucker. She lured one of the Get to his death and _skinned_ him."

Oberlin held out his hands to stop anyone from moving. Luckily, the other Garou apparently still recognized his authority.

"Why are you here, Shade?" Karrde asked his older sister.

"Lu Tan was acting on his own initiative. The Sabbat leadership determined that he had to be stopped, and the Black Hand ordered him eliminated as a threat to all of us."

"So you're Sabbat and Black Hand?" Oberlin demanded.

"I am Sabbat, but I'm not of the Hand. I work for them, something of a troubleshooter, you could say." Baily put her hand inside her jacket. The gathered warriors collectively flinched, which caused her to chuckle as she pulled out a folded, wax-sealed parchment. She handed this to Oberlin. "I trust you'll read it for yourself, but this is a letter from the Cardinal of the North American region. That letter is to let you know that the Sabbat have no plans for this territory, and will not make a move against you.

"Now I'm leaving. I trust I can turn my back to your people?" she said with another chuckle as she started to walk away.

"Shade, wait," Karrde said, jogging after her. "I haven't heard from you in years, and you're just going to walk away?"

"Mikey," she said, a name she knew he hated, "You know I'm not a big fan of your kind, for oh, so many reasons. You be happy, I'll stay out of your way if you stay out of mine. I'm pretty sure we're not going to be having a happy family reunion any time soon."

Shadelyn walked away, moving off into the night.

"Thank you for your help here, Karrde," Oberlin said, coming up behind him. "We would never have held out without you. I've already given permission for Delgado to add two new Gangrel to replace her losses. Is there anything, any boon, you want as repayment?"

"No," Karrde said. "I got into this because I was attacked in my home, and I didn't want to live in a Sabbat town. We've lived in peace for years now, and I don't see any reason to change that now."

"Karrde," said Whispering Water at his shoulder, "I'm appointing you as the Warder to the River Island caern. It's shouldn't take too much work right now, since no one knows it exists yet. It's your home, though, so it's your charge. Prince Oberlin," she said, turning to the vampire. "we'll likely be sending some of our people in to prepare the site. In accordance with our laws, they'll contact the Warder. With your relationship together, I'm certain he'll let you know."

Oberlin laughed to himself. "We're going to have the first multi-cultural community if we can just keep from killing each other."

Karrde took Oberlin's hand, sealing the informal accords. Taking Alyxandra by the hand, he led her off toward their home.

"Sorry, love," he told his wife, "I left the car at home, so we have to hoof it."

"That's ok…I've still got your collar and leash with me!" Alyx said hopefully.

Karrde laughed and shook his head, pulling her in tight against his chest.

"Not now, babe. I think I'd like to just stretch my two legs tonight."

They walked in silence, enjoying the cool breeze. They lived nearly three miles from the river, but neither of them were likely to get tired. Karrde hoped not, anyway. He had energy and adrenaline built up from the fight that didn't happen, and he wanted to…roughhouse…with his wife when they got home.

"Wait a second!" Alyx said suddenly, the sheer shock in her voice making Karrde immediately start scanning the streets. With all that had happened, he wouldn't have been surprised to see a Black Spiral Dancer or the Wyrm himself jump out of the shadows.

"What? What happened?"

"You have a sister?"

Karrde's laughter rang out into the night. He swept his wife off of her feet and carried her the rest of the way home.

**END  
**


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